Guro Ødegård takes office as the new director of the Norwegian Social Research, NOVA today. She comes from a job as the leader of the Youth Research Group at NOVA.
"It’s a privilege to lead competent research staff at an institute delivering research of high academic quality on the crucial challenges in society," says Ødegård.
"These challenges being, among other things, studies of the Norwegian and European welfare states’ measures and services, with a special focus on the living conditions, distribution of wealth and social exclusion."
Full Activity from day one
"Even if this position is temporary, it gives me more opportunity to try to strengthen the organization’s core activities like research, publishing and dissemination. I benefit from the fact that I know the institute and the staff well. I can therefore start planning from day one."
Plans to strengthen cooperation
Regarding long-term plans, Ødegård intends to contribute to the strategic development of the Centre for Welfare and Labour Research, SVA, of which NOVA is a part. She sees a potential for more cooperation with the other three research institutes at SVA, NIBR, SIFO og AFI, which together represent Norway’s largest social science research environment.
"It is a management task to take advantage of this fact in a best possible way," Ødegård explains. "A further task will also be to connect NOVA and SVA to OsloMet more tightly."
About Guro Ødegård
Ødegård has studied sociology at the University of Oslo. She has done research on democracy, politics, and civil society with a special focus on young people. Formerly, she has worked at the Institute for Social Research and has been leader for the Centre for Research on Civil Society and Voluntary Sector. She has also been leader for the governmental public committee Children and Youth Organization Committee, and is now a member of the City and Living Conditions Committee which is due to release its final report in 2020.
